India’s Scorching New Normal: The Escalating Heatwave Crisis and Paths to Resilience

Inspired by Ahmedabad’s success, over 130 cities and 23 States across India have developed their own Heat Action Plans. Alongside Heat Action Plans, a variety of heat-mitigation strategies have been implemented. Despite a variety of solutions being implemented, significant challenges remain in addressing heatwave-related problems

Many Indians born before the 1990s recall summers as a mix of a few blazing hot days interspersed with longer periods of milder, more comfortable weather. These cooler breaks were more than mere relief. They gave communities vital time to recover before the next heatwave. However, such seasonal rhythms are rapidly fading. Today, summers feel relentless. Increasingly frequent stretches of intense, sustained heat — known as heatwaves — have become the new normal. This shift is not merely subjective or due to lowered human tolerance. It is backed by decades of scientific meteorological data confirming that India’s summers have changed fundamentally — and for the worse.

Those born after 1990 have experienced a world where extreme heat days are far more frequent. Within a single generation, perceptions of summer have shifted dramatically. Heatwaves in India have intensified. They have become more common over a relatively short time. A heatwave occurs when temperatures rise above 40 degree C in the plains — such as the Indo-Gangetic Plain, including Delhi and Lucknow — 37 degree C or more for coastal station and or exceed 30 degree C in hilly regions like Shimla and Mussoorie. These elevated temperatures must persist for at least two consecutive days. Additionally, they must be at least 4.5 degree C above the usual seasonal average. Such conditions, once rare, have now become a regular feature of Indian summers. In States such as Odisha and Rajasthan, heatwaves that once lasted only a few days now extend for weeks or even months. This shift profoundly alters weather patterns, communities, and ecosystems.

In 2010, India recorded approximately 177 extreme heatwave days. Over the following 14 years, this number more than tripled. By 2024, it reached over 536 heatwave days. It is important to clarify how this national figure is calculated. Heatwaves do not occur simultaneously across the entire country. Instead, this total reflects the sum of heatwave days recorded across various regions and States throughout the year — the reason why the total number of heatwave days exceed 365 for a given year.

The human toll of heatwaves is both real and severe. A February 2024 study across 10 Indian cities found that heatwaves elevate the risk of death by nearly 15%.

Disproportionate impact

Ahmedabad and Varanasi are heatwave hotspots and among the hardest hit. Urban residents bear an added burden. The urban heat island effect can raise temperatures by 5-8 degrees Celsius compared with surrounding rural areas, as per a November 2024 study. This intensified heat disproportionately impacts poor neighbourhoods. Dense concrete structures and tin shacks trap the heat most acutely. This unequal heat burden severely impacts millions. Informal settlements offer minimal protection. They have thin walls, unreliable electricity, and scarce access to fans or cooling devices.

AI-powered vulnerability maps confirm that indoor heat exposure in these areas is dangerously high . Nearly one-third of India’s workforce labours outdoors — in construction sites, agricultural fields, and markets—often with little shade or relief. Vulnerable populations — including children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses — face heightened health risks. Compounding these dangers, worsening water shortages limit hydration and cooling. This deepens the crisis for those least able to cope.

There are several technological solutions currently available such as  such as Air conditioners and coolers bring relief. But they remain luxuries for fewer than 25% of households — mostly the wealthy. Worse, their growing use strains electricity grids and increases emissions. This fuels the very climate change that intensifies heat extremes in the first place. Traditional adaptive practices such as shifting work hours, once common among agricultural workers, have become impractical in rapidly urbanising settings where labourers face strict deadlines and limited flexibility.

Compounding this, India’s green infrastructure — including public water bodies, parks, and green spaces — has been severely depleted by unplanned urban expansion and pollution, reducing natural cooling and community resilience. Recognising these challenges, India has been seeking solutions that carefully consider economic and social disparities alongside infrastructural constraints. The focus is on balancing affordability and scalability to ensure that effective heat-mitigation strategies can reach and benefit the country’s diverse populations.

Groundbreaking initiative

In 2010, Ahmedabad experienced a deadly heatwave that claimed over 1,300 lives, prompting the city to pioneer South Asia’s first Heat Action Plan in 2013. This groundbreaking initiative integrated scientific research with community engagement to tackle extreme heat more effectively. Key components included probabilistic weather forecasts providing up to seven days’ advance warning; targeted public messaging on hydration and heat illness reaching over 1.3 million residents; specialized training for healthcare workers across 32 hospitals to manage heat-related emergencies; and a dedicated official coordinating efforts among government agencies, meteorological departments, NGOs, and the media. Within two years, Ahmedabad reduced the relative risk of heat-related deaths from 2.34 to 1.25, averting approximately 1,190 fatalities annually. Funded through a collaborative mix of government budgets, philanthropic organisations, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, the plan’s sustained success relies on solid science, consistent financing, and clear accountability.

Variety of solutions

Inspired by Ahmedabad’s success, over 130 cities and 23 States across India have developed their own Heat Action Plans. Alongside these plans, a variety of heat mitigation strategies have emerged. Cool roofs, for example, use reflective paints, light-colored coatings, tiles, or membranes to reflect sunlight and emit heat efficiently. Unlike traditional roofs, which are often dark and absorb heat — raising indoor temperatures — cool roofs provide an affordable means to reduce heat buildup and energy consumption. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Bangalore, and Delhi have adopted this solution, with typical costs in India ranging from ₹30 to ₹100 per square foot.

Another innovative approach gaining traction is parametric insurance, which offers rapid, fixed payouts when specific heatwave conditions are met, regardless of actual losses. This mechanism enables swift funding for emergency responses, though challenges such as trust deficits and high initial costs limit short-term adoption. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Chhotaudepur, Jodhpur, Dimapur, Kohima, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram have begun piloting this solution. Urban greenery initiatives, including afforestation and urban parks, have been embraced in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Bangalore, Delhi, and Varanasi, leveraging natural cooling through shade and evapotranspiration.

Other practical interventions include early warning systems (e.g., SMS alerts in Delhi), active cooling programmes subsidising air conditioners in Bengaluru, Delhi, Surat, Mumbai, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, and Meerut, and community cooling shelters in cities like Delhi, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, and Surat. Technologies such as IoT-based heat monitoring are being piloted in Bangalore, Delhi, and Surat. Further measures encompass green building incentives, heat-resilient urban planning, and water-based cooling methods, alongside traditional practices like blue walling in Jodhpur and Ahmedabad. The national India Cooling Action Plan also provides a policy framework guiding many of these efforts.

Challenges galore

Despite the variety of solutions, significant challenges remain. Many Heat Action Plans suffer from underfunding, lack of leadership, poor coordination, and absence of legal mandates. Limited local meteorological and health data hamper tailored warnings and impact evaluation, while marginalised communities often remain excluded. Rural areas, which house millions of vulnerable outdoor workers, are largely overlooked.

Experts emphasise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each city’s heat risk profile and capacity differ widely, requiring detailed local vulnerability assessments. Flexible institutional frameworks embedded within urban planning and social welfare systems are essential. Collaboration among governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector is critical for developing context-specific, equitable interventions. Cities should prioritise affordable, high-impact solutions aligned with their resources and collaborate regionally where climatic conditions overlap.

Way forward

Looking forward, India must transition from reactive crisis management to transformative resilience. This involves integrating heat adaptation into housing codes that promote passive cooling, advancing water and energy planning, expanding green infrastructure, and fostering cross-sector collaboration between forestry, horticulture, public works, health, and rural development departments. Supporting local research and community-led innovation can accelerate the development of affordable cooling technologies and real-time AI-driven health surveillance. Building trust through inclusive governance and community engagement will be pivotal in sustaining resilience.

Financing these efforts requires diverse and innovative mechanisms. A blend of government funding, philanthropy, private investment, and international climate finance is necessary to scale and maintain interventions. Balancing immediate heatwave preparedness with structural reforms addressing social inequality will ultimately define India’s ability to withstand the rising heat threat.

India’s escalating heat crisis intersects with climate change, rapid urbanisation, social inequality, and public health challenges. Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan demonstrates how integrating science, governance, funding, and community engagement can save lives. Replicating and scaling such successes nationwide demands sustained political will, continuous innovation, equity, and grounded local solutions. By centering justice and local realities, India can protect millions and build truly climate-resilient cities.